


Gift

by Yuval25



Series: The Story Of Us [7]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Family, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hogwarts, Love, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-12 05:31:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3345350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuval25/pseuds/Yuval25
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>To Ron, Harry's smile was the best gift he could ever get.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Gift  
> Beta: writhen heart

"It's not much, but it's home," speaks the freckled, awkward teen as he chews a mouthful of fresh bread roll, looking around the shaggy, dilapidated house nicknamed 'The Burrow'.

Harry's large, giddy smile as he takes in his surroundings with hungry eyes light up his whole face, making Ron, the previously-mentioned freckled, awkward boy gawk for a moment, mesmerized by the sight. He has never seen Harry this happy. Or maybe he had, when Christmas came around last year and Ron told him he had presents.

Harry's laughing green eyes meet Ron's for a brief second, thanks passing through the gaze as Ron grins boastfully, or more accurately, proudly. Yes, he is very proud of making Harry's expression brighten up like the sky at noon, indeed.

Second year at Hogwarts comes around, Ginny is attacked by You-Know-Who through some journal, Ron and Harry with the addition of a rather infuriating teacher enter the legendary Chamber of Secrets, and of course Harry kicks You-Know-Who's arse at the end of it.

It's becoming some sort of a routine – year starts, mysterious thing happens, You-Know-Who's responsible, he, Harry and Hermione investigate, Harry fights You-Know-Who and wins, year ends.

Ron becomes smitten with Hermione at some point during their fourth year. Or maybe it was sooner, but he'll never admit that. Hermione, unfortunately, doesn't seem to return the sentiment. Harry says that she'll come around, but Ron isn't so sure that he wants her to come around. Would it change his and Harry's friendship if she would?

After the Lavender-phase, which Ron is very, very intent on forgetting, something starts to change between Harry and him. For instance, Harry is more distant, more secretive. He keeps something from Ron and the redhead doesn't like it in the least.

Over the summer, after Dumbledore's death, it becomes quite clear what Harry has been hiding.

And thus begins the Horcrux hunt.

It's hard, tiring, and seeing Harry and Hermione so close to each other makes Ron angry. He misses his family, and is frightened they'd get hurt, and Harry and Hermione just keep sitting together and whispering and holding hands and _supporting_ each other. It's excruciating to watch.

At some point Ron crosses the line. Like in fourth year, he's jealous. This time, though, he's jealous of Harry and Hermione's lack of somebody to worry about, family. Like blokes do, they start to get physical and Ron storms out with a black eye thinking how _nice_ Harry's hand had felt clutching his sweater as he prepared his fist to strike Ron's face. It's all quite messed up, really. But Ron comes back, his heart nearly stopping in his chest when he sees Harry jump into the frozen pond of ice-water, and fail to resurface. It takes everything he has not to proceed with a mouth-to-mouth after he pulls a freezing, coughing Harry out, just to find out what it would feel like to touch Harry's mouth with his own.

When he sees Harry kissing Hermione, both lacking clothes, in an apparition from the cursed locket, he sees red. He can't help it. Hermione's hands rake over Harry's toned chest, kissing his full, worried lips. It's hell to watch.

Ron starts getting confused, worried, his thoughts betraying him. It's a problem that he is probably sending mixed signals to Hermione, but he does the British thing and ignores the problem until it hopefully goes away.

At the final battle, he almost kisses her, relief and joy at being alive flooding him like the wave of freezing water that just crashed on top of his and Hermione's heads, wetting them to the bone. They both immediately jump into each other's arms, and when Hermione tilts her head for a kiss, Ron turns his away, the warm lips hitting his cheek rather than meeting his mouth. Hermione's confused expression is something he can only sigh at, and then proceed onto taking her hand and running out of the blasted Chamber of Secrets.

Snape dies, Fred dies and everything is wrong. Chaos and confusion spread like the flu and Ron is on the verge of losing his mind when Hermione asks him why he refused her kiss in the Chamber, while they are waiting for Harry to come out of the Headmaster's office.

He stays silent. He doesn't want to talk about it. He doesn't want to talk about Fred, and he really, really doesn't want to even _think_ about his feelings for Harry.

Unfortunately for Ron, he doesn't really get any say in the matter, and when he realizes what Harry's going to do, what he's going to sacrifice, and sees Hermione fling herself at his best friend, Ron doesn't think. He acts.

He takes Harry's face in his hands, and he kisses him. Lips-smashing, teeth-clattering, right-on-your-mouth kind of kiss that takes the air out of his lungs completely, and he has to let go of Harry because his hands can't hold themselves up anymore.

Raising his eyes to meet Harry's is the hardest thing he's ever done, but he does it anyway. The green eyes are burning with some emotion Ron can't quite place, but that emotion is strong and fuelled with determination and intent. Breathless, Ron takes a few steps back until his feet hit a stair and he falls down, sitting on the stones.

When he sees Harry again, he's alive and running and Voldemort is after him, which isn't anything new but it scares the crap out of Ron. When Harry kills Voldemort, Ron cheers with everyone and runs to him with Hermione not far behind him. Looking into her eyes, it's a silent agreement that they would leave that conversation for another time. Harry, having apparently seen their exchange, nods.

'Another Time' comes too soon and Harry and Ron sit outside the new-and-improved Burrow on a bright-sky noon, the wind flapping their overgrown hair.

"It's home," Harry tells him quietly, searching Ron's eyes.

Ron meets the green eyes hiding behind the round glasses. "Yeah, but it's not the same anymore."

Harry averts his gaze and throws a stone into a nearby creek. "Isn't it?"

"It's… empty," Ron admits, his voice barely above a whisper. It's still hard to talk about what happened to Fred. It's been two weeks, which isn't a very long time, but the pain hasn't subsided even a bit.

Harry sighs, and throws another stone, a flatter one, that skims over the creek and jumps twice before it sinks to the bottom. "Do you think it'll ever get better?"

"I don't know." Ron shrugs.

"I hope it does," Harry says softly.

"Yeah." He is ignoring the neon-pink elephant in front of them, but makes no move to announce its presence. Luckily, Harry is braver.

"Why did you kiss me?" He sounds vulnerable as he says this, as if he could break if Ron utters the wrong explanation.

Hermione chooses that moment to make an appearance. She avoids looking at Ron, like she has done since the final battle, and speaks directly to Harry. "There are some crisps and juice inside, if you want," she offers.

Harry nods at her. "We'll be right in."

Hermione nods and leaves, not sparing a single glance at Ron.

"You hurt her, you know," Harry says, hugging his knees to his chest.

Ron looks at his own knees. His legs are longer and thicker than Harry's, and he wonders if that means his dick is bigger, too. Maybe. "I didn't mean to."

Harry lets out a raspy breath. "Me neither."

Ron looks at Harry bewilderedly. "What do you mean?"

Harry is silent for a few moments before he answers. "When you were with Lavender, I told her you'd come around eventually. You didn't."

"Did you actually think I would?" Ron asks honestly, because surely Harry must have noticed.

"Not really." Harry meets Ron's eyes again, and they're intent and determined and shining with the same emotion Ron couldn't put a name to after he had kissed Harry. Suddenly, Ron's out of breath and his heart quickens, beating fast and hard and making his chest ache. "I don't think I wanted you to."

Ron makes a sound like a wounded animal and buries his face in his hands. He thinks he can feel tears wetting his palms as he presses the heels of his hands into his eyes.

They sit there for some time, probably missing 'crisps and juice', Ron with his face hidden behind his large, freckled hands and Harry just staring at the creek, every now and then throwing a pebble into it and making the water splash.

Eventually, they begin to get hungry. Harry's stomach rumbles loudly and Ron starts giggling. Harry joins him, chuckling, and then laughing whole-heartedly.

"We should probably get back inside," says Harry after they calm down.

Ron raises his head, his tears dry and sparkling and a smile on his face. "Yeah."

They catch each other's gazes again. It happens quite quickly. They both reach out desperately, their lips meeting instantly as they clutch each other's jumpers tightly. It's raw and it's messy and sometimes it hurts when their teeth clash or when Ron's nose pushes too hard into Harry's cheek, but neither breaks away. Their lips meet again, and again, and again, until they're both out of breath and gasping into each other's mouths. Then they do it again, much slower this time, opening their mouths and letting their tongues meet instinctively, exploring, touching. It's magical. It's everything anyone could ever ask for. It's the best gift anyone could give.

It's the best gift anyone could get.


End file.
